History
|
|
A Brief History Of HIGHLEY by Caroline Edwards B.Ed. |
HIGHLEY IS NOW ONE OF THE LARGEST VILLAGES IN SHROPSHIRE. It is mentioned in the Doomsday book of 1086 where it is recorded as HUGLEI , named after the lord of the manor.
The oldest building in the village
is St. Mary's church, built about 1140, it has been added to over the
centuries. To the left of the church is the late medieval church house, the
original home of the priest.
Where Church Lane meets the main road is the site of the
village school built in 1863. It is now the Parish Hall.
In 1874, the Highley Mining Company began producing coal at the newly built colliery. As the industry grew, miners came from other mining areas, notably Staffordshire. As the population increased many new houses were built and today long streets of miners' houses still survive. A typical example is to be found along Clee View. As you go north out of the centre of the village you will approach Garden Village. This was developed at the turn of the 20th century to house the workers from Billingsley Colliery.
The pit closed in 1969 and since then many new houses have been built. Highley has changed from a mining village to a commuter village. The Severn Valley Country Park now stands were Highley colliery used to be. It was reclaimed and landscaped by volunteers in the 1980's. The Colliery Bridge, which was the first bridge to be built by the 'cantilever' technique in 1936, spans the river Severn today and gives access to the Visitor's Centre where an exhibition shows how the area used to look.
To the east of the village lies the River Severn and an area known as 'Stanley'. Here, quarrying and mining took place, evidence of which can still be clearly seen. Highley's first pub, 'The Ship' opened here in 1770.
Just a short walk up from 'The Ship' is Highley Station opened in 1862 and now part of the Severn Valley Railway. The station was featured in the BBC comedy series 'Oh, Doctor Beeching!' and attracts many visitors each year.